Don't you think it's a bit silly to play E4 ?

I mean come on from our child hood in schools, public places anywhere we go we can hear same thing e2 to e4! People don't know anything about chess already know this.

Every begginer learns from e4 and so on.

Most popular defences against e4 is sicilian and again every single begginer and every one else knows sicilian (some better sone worse ).

My point is its just to we'll known some way or another.

Why not play d4 instead? Or as a backup c4

Because E4 is best by test as Fischer said. All the GOAT aggressive players played E4.

Even Kasparov's immortal starts with E4.

Leave the D4 for patzers or people who like draws/slow games.

C4? CBF

1. e4 is now considered to allow too many drawing chances among the GMs, so it is only used irregularly. 54.7% of 1. e4 e5 games are draws compared to only 50.8% of 1. d4 games according to chess365 (the Sicilian causes a lot less draws, but that's black's option to play). This is why 1. e4 is a very rare thing in world championship matches nowadays while back in 2000 and previous to that it was played all the time.

To put it simply: 1.e4 is so popular in low level simply because when people learn chess it is the easiest way for someone teaching them how to play in the opening to justify the battle for the center. For the obvious reasons.

Then these players start to develop, and by being humans they simply build on their past experiences and games so that they actually learn faster. This justifies that they are focusing more on 1.e4 and are probably not even willing to change and try 1.d4. (How many of us can actually devote to chess as much time as we want?) Hence, they have the illusion that 1.d4 is a "positional" move and live happily in their own fantasy world. Well, apart from Sicilian, I think that 1.e4 is the positional move. But whatever. You are convinced anyway.

The fact of the matter is that with 1.d4 if White wants to push Black to a super aggressive line, he can do so in a much bigger percentage of openings compared to 1.e4.

e4 is easy to deal with. d4 puts plack in dilemmas where white keeps pressure on d5 and closes down blacks position. As hessmaster said, e4 is refuted. d4 is not, and will not be. The only reason e4 is at the top of the popularity list is because black plays nadjorf or dragon, and then white crushes.

Check your facts before posting. Last November, less than 1/2 year ago, 1 e4 began 13 of the 16 games in the Carlsen-Karjakin World Championship match.

 I play d4 because I know most of the lines and the middle games that arise from them. I do need to sharpen up on the e4 openings from the white side. I just don't play it in blitz. I'll waste more time in the opening and early middle game because I'm less experienced with it. 

I stll play e4 against weaker players. Against equals and betters, I play d4 follwed bby c4. The most beautiful combinations arre in d4 games IMO.

my starting system was always c4 when playing white and c5 when playing black. Though not these days

That's because masters draw a lot(I think so)

I do d4 usually.

me too

Not"silly", but I agree that 1.d4 is better.

I am amazed at the number of people who claim that d4 is superior to e4. Do they not watch what happens at the highest level of chess? One of the reasons I think people do this is because they think the sicilian refutes e4 which is nonsense of course. 

That made me chuckle. I usually play e4 too but sometimes I find myself getting bored with it and try something different just for a change. 

I was gonna reply to that ignorant bloke, but I guess everyone else did a nice job debunking his BS.

E4 best by test. The GOAT opening.

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I dislike you, but I agree with this statement.

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A really bad move